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Well, we could be about to find out...

News about the opening ceremony (and not only that). First of all, the announcement of the musical director of the ceremonies who is Victor le Masne. It was he who notably composed the version of the Marseillaise for the Tokyo 2020 handover. He is also in charge of the official musical theme for Paris 2024, of which here is an extract: Otherwise, like every month, Telerama has released a new interview article* with Thomas Jolly where we learn new things (these are really my favorite articles - the ones where we really go into detail about the artistic process): - Some artists at the ceremony will be foreign (Céline Dion? She still has an Olympic history) - The only non-French music will be... Imagine by John Lennon who will be back for the umpteenth time (this is the bad news of the day) - The article mentions "twelve or thirteen scenes", while initially they had planned only 12. The impression that they have not yet decided how to integrate (or not) the Olympic cauldron of the Louvre into the history. - Not counting security, there are around 18,000 people working on the ceremonies * https://www.telerama.fr/musique/exclusif-thomas-jolly-nous-devoile-le-nom-du-directeur-musical-des-jo-et-un-extrait-de-sa-composition-7020343.php

Please Istanbul, save us from this dusty, boring dump.

The closing ceremony should be at Nice but not in a stadium: it is planned to be on the seaside, at the Promenade des Anglais. https://www.lequipe.fr/Tous-sports/Actualites/La-ceremonie-de-cloture-des-jo-2030-devrait-se-derouler-en-bord-de-mer-a-nice/1463385

Yay, this one's for you Marta (More to the point, this one's for anyone at the FA capable of seeing beyond their own thumbs...2031) Although obviously the final at the Maracana will be a wonderful occasion in its own right

Carl Lewis at the Stade de France to discover the new athletics track

Some photos found on Twitter of the progress of the stands for the Trocadéro (where the opening ceremony will end, as a reminder). I must admit that what seems to resemble a metal "arch", in front of a side stand... intrigues me. And there is another structure under construction at the Trocadéro, between the two buildings which form the Palais de Chaillot (therefore aligned with the Eiffel Tower). I saw a few months ago that NBC & France Télévisions would have their studio at the Trocadéro, it seems that this structure under construction corresponds to these temporary studios. This therefore makes the idea of having an Olympic cauldron at the Trocadéro for the opening ceremony less likely.

Yeah, I hope they remove this f*cking song for good as soon as the Olympic Champion in Fencing leaves.

Meanwhile, a little more slowly but surely, the Place de la Concorde is being transformed for these Olympic Games.

If only Jacques Chirac was still around to give food lectures!

Next week, a new book by two journalists from Munich's Sueddeutsche Zeitung will come out, called "The Olygarch" and you can guess who is the figure that inspired the title's word play. It deals with our favourite IOC President's connections with the ZZZar, and a particular juicy episode made headlines today as an advance segment of the book: Apparently during the 2011 Alpine Skiing World Championships held in Garmisch, and used as a major promotion platform for the Munich 2018 bid, Bach (then still DOSB President and of course IOC VP) disappeared from the scene for a day. There is now an affidavit quoted in the book by Alfons Hörmann (at the time President of the German Skiing Federation and later Bach's successor as DOSB President who also had a very tumltuous and dubious time in office until he resigned in 2021 in the wake of the Rhine-Ruhr 2032 disaster) saying that Bach had told him afterwards that he went on a brief trip to Moscow, flown in and out secretly on a private jet to meet with Vlad. Hörmann also stated that Bach told him the trip went very well and he was now sure to get "it". It being of course the IOC Presidency for which he was already heavily campaigning over two years before the actual vote. In short: Very likely that the guy is only sitting on the throne in Lausanne because he was ready to be Vlad's puppet. And all the actions taken during his Presidency whenever there was a scandal related to Russia surely do not give hope that this is just an evil rumour. Funny though that he seems to have fallen from grace now with Russia openly creating competition for the IOC ("Future Games" etc). I'm sure there's still lots of dirty laundry in the KGB cellars about many IOC members (let's not forget - and that is also part of the book apparently - that Bach's big mentor JAS was once himself Spanish ambassador to Moscow and crowned there as IOC President...). IOC will probably deny all of this as usual and accuse the authors of fake news, but just in case anyone still asks about Bach's reputation at home, here you go (again).

Still sounds quicker than the queues of paying customers lining up to get into the Musee d’Orsay or or the regular Bateau Mouche tours. You might have to resort to that to force them to endure the real most gruelling part of the ceremony - listening to Fencing 76’s speech.

I think it will look something like this. To have a better idea of the structure of the ceremony, we would have to wait until next month with the technical rehearsals of the boat parade on stage just to have an idea of the flow of boats, the distance between each boat, etc. The only thing we know is that it takes 42 minutes to go from Austerlitz -> Iena. For the pre-show, I think that the television channels which will broadcast live for the pre-ceremony will show some parts of the pre-show live (I am thinking in particular of NBC's Today) (in addition there are also "floating structures", or boats, which are planned for the artistic segments, at the latest news a little less than thirty. Also see how they will incorporate all that.) Factually, I don't see how all the points you note are scandalous, unprecedented, a horror, etc. etc. - "drive on a bus across Paris": as I said one month ago, the distance between the Olympic village and the Seine is comparable to Tokyo, and three times shorter than in Rio. And believe me that no one will dare to take their car on July 26 in Paris, no risk of traffic jams. - “assembly for boats”: what is the concrete difference compared to gathering in the stadium to form delegation groups? Apart from adding 10-15 minutes time to get on the boat (I don't think that's so unbearable?)? - “parade in boat”: how difficult is it to be on a boat for 45 minutes? - "walk up to seats": but in classic ceremonies, the athletes... walk, right? - “sit through Opening”: what’s the difference with a classic ceremony, again? - “bus back to Village”: what’s the difference with Tokyo and Rio again? - "in mid summer": when was the last Summer Olympic Games... which did not take place in summer? In addition, as a general, the opening ceremonies end around midnight (local time), here it will end at 11:15 p.m. Athletes will be able to return three quarters of an hour earlier than usual. (and if they really don't want to go for fear of exhausting themselves, fortunately we don't stick a gun to their heads to force them to come...)

Meanwhile, in Tahiti, the judges' tower is finally finished. (and no one talks about it anymore; one less controversy).

For some context, there is currently a mess happening there, Kanyak(the island natives) nationalists are protesting against a proposal to open up the electoral college for New Caledonia specific votes to all people in the island. There have currently the national french list and the New Caledonian for people born in the island or residing there for 20 years or longer, due to the Noumea Accord. These people from the second list have a second separate citzenship of the island, and can vote in local elections, and only they; this is what this proposal wants to change. The thing is that is after the third of the independence referenduns there, held 2021 in the middle of the pandemic and with a much lower attendance than the two previous ones, that was boycotted by the Kanyak groups and the 96.5% No vote for independence show that. The two previous ones in 2018 and 2020 had almost a 50/50 split with the No vote leading just by a very small margin. All three were all voted by the Caledonian citzenship holders. If these open up happened, it would make for a gigantic shuffle in local politics and even maybe the end of line for possible New Caledonian independence, due to the French natives having much more of a say in local votes. And alas, since that proposal gained traction...we got an conflict. Kanyak independist groups and the local authorites, if i recall correctly, have been in conflict this past days, causing a lot of damage in the island. One could read it as a civil unrest, or the start of a civil war(or independence war, depending of who wins?). Sebastien could explain much better than me about that and fill the gaps that i missed, as he has the french perspective, but i been looking this situation since an earlier protest as an effect of my olympic induced curiosity about the french oversea territories.

And the winner is Brazil! Saved you the trouble

Corrected that for you.

I think about the post you posted, @baron-pierreIV, about your guesses or suggestions for scenes from the opening ceremony. I recently came across this article in the Challenges newspaper, which at first glance has nothing to do with the opening ceremony. https://www.challenges.fr/france/jo-tony-estanguet-capitaine-de-paris-2024-navigue-dans-la-tempete_890467 Yet... It's funny, I almost have the impression that without meaning to, the article totally spoiled part of the opening ceremony. I mean, it makes me want to make a prediction. Where is the Académie française located? As luck would have it, on the banks of the Seine, just opposite the Louvre. And guess what? There is a bridge that connects these two monuments: the Pont des Arts. Another intriguing element: we know, according to the documents provided by the Minister of the Interior, that there will be no public in front of the Académie française, and that the Pont des Arts will host "logistical installations" ( = can be used for artistic elements of the opening ceremony). Other elements that we know, even if it has not been officially announced (but hey, given the extent of the rumor and the source, it's as if it were official), that Aya Nakamura will sing Edith Piaf. “the star of the opening ceremony” And it's funny, because we also know that the Piaf song that should be used would be... l'hymne à l'amour. And it turns out that the Pont des Arts is perhaps the bridge which most symbolizes the cliché of Paris, city of love (even if there are no longer the padlocks). It's starting to be too many coincidences. So, my prediction: During the opening ceremony, one of the 12 scenes will be on the theme of love/romance/etc., this will be where we will hear Piaf, with Aya Nakamura arriving through the front door of the Académie française to sing L'hymne à l'amour. The scene will take place on the Pont des Arts and could serve as a transition for the scene which will take place at the Louvre. Bonus point if it's done at sunset, with the sky taking on pink hues. (after all, Thomas Jolly said he intended to use different natural lights; reasons why the ceremony will only partially take place in the middle of the night) There you go, I'm making this prediction just because it would make me laugh if it's really going to happen like this on July 26: I'll just have to say "you read it here first". For the rest, knowing that the Académie française is the institution which dictates the rules of French language, given the numerous racist remarks that Aya Nakamura received, in particular on the fact that she "does not speak French in her songs", the imagine singing from the Académie française (so, it means having the validation, ultimately, of those who make the French language, les Académiciens, les Immortels), it would be a beautiful message sent to all the anti-wokistes that we hear in France.

Also, as has just been discussed in the typography thread, Munich also set the design template for almost every Olympics for the rest of the 20th century. It’s hard overestimate the legacy it left on Olympic design. I agree with Aussie Kiwi - until the attacks, it was well on course to being one of the best and most influential games of all time, and even after the attacks it’s influence was still stamped on successive games for decades.

And now the Brits; ceremonial… Team GB’s Olympic Games ceremony kit including updated Union Jack and Hawaiian-style floral shirt revealed

yep, you can see the two fonts I included here: then there's the emblem font as well. honestly I'm surprised the website for Olympic designs hasn't been linked yet in any of these polls (from what i've seen): https://www.theolympicdesign.com/ lots of cool stuff there, got a whole category on typefaces as well: https://www.theolympicdesign.com/olympic-games/typefaces/

Something tells me he's not sowing his seeds in a fertile field...

Okay, then perhaps…

In the end, this ceremony was a bit like the Paris 2024 handover, but better. Very nice to see. Apparently, there were even more people than expected, especially along the Marseille coast. The gauge was announced at 150,000 people, but if we include those who were elsewhere than at the Old Port, I would not be surprised if the total attendance was 200-250k people. The funniest thing, ultimately, is having broken the attendance records for all the Olympic ceremonies... even though it's "just" for the arrival of the flame. Hoping that what was done today can give ideas to future host countries/cities, starting with LA 2028 in four years. In any case, clearly, the objective of the day has been largely achieved. For those who want to watch the replay on the Olympics YouTube channel (start at 31:59):

france⋅tv's Olympic digital channel is now live. It will be officially launched on Wednesday so for now, it's only teasers for what's going to be aired. The main focus will be the torch relay, but there's also going to have other programs: magazines, artistic performances, documentaries, replays of previous Olympic events... For example, a replay of LA84's opening ceremony is planned on Thursday evening. Here's the link → https://www.france.tv/paris-h24/direct.html. Follow @sebastien1214 's instructions a few posts above if you want to access it abroad. During the Olympics, that digital channel will broadcast competitions, especially urban sports. The channel will be live until the end of Paralympics.

It is planned to be close to a fountain called Le Grand Bassin Rond, the large round basin. Maybe a giant ring around/over the basin that could indeed be seen by far...

The Olympic app now has a story on the relay cauldron - can't paste a link to the whole thing but this passage intrigued me: "The torch, the torch relay cauldron and the Olympic cauldron are not separate objects, they are chapters in one great story. Each embodies the spirit of the Paris Games," said French designer Mathieu Lehanneur. "If the torch is a sacred fire that is passed on, the cauldron is the object around which we gather and which unites our energies." I can't be the only person who's seen that chapters line & thought "tiny ring, big ring, massive ring" surely. The only thing I'm not sure fits is the location because aren't they saying it'll be outside the Louvre rather than in the Seine?

I still say that Melbourne should've been the next Australian host. It's literally the textbook example of the "new-norm", not Brisbane (& this mess going on with them illustrates that). And if the dates can now be "switched" moving forward, then Melbourne really got a raw deal here, just so a certain IOC official could get their way.

Yup, haven't felt like this for any Olympics, summer or winter, since 2012 - looking forward to watching the real excitement catch France from Wednesday as it really does become real. It feels like this is our reward for getting through all the sh*t of the last Olympic cycle, the pandemic disaster, Beijing, scandals and Bach's dealings (although they sadly might not be over). Time to enjoy the Olympics again

Perhaps it’s time to start a new torch relay thread with the imminent arrival of the flame in Marseilles? If people think so, I’ll get round to it later on if someone else doesn’t start one themselves. in the meantime the latest in the Guerre de wokisme: Paris drag queen abused over Olympic Torch Relay role Sad, but predictable. We also had drag queens carry the flag down our gay strip in Sydney, and it wasn’t a huge deal. F*cking hate the tide of alt right outrage.

Precisely - Bach's mental gymnastics is quite astonishing. Reality is if that Brisbane, as well as Rhine-Ruhr, Doha and potentially other candidates which may have emerged post pandemic (who knows - Istanbul, Madrid, etc...) we'd be heading into the home stretch of the final year of the bid. Right now, Brisbane's stadium indecision would be happening under the context of it being within the bid phase. If the IOC found it unpalatable at the 2025 session, its members would decided whether it was the best choice above the other options. Strange logic, thats for sure.

Meanwhile, the Olympic flame is well escorted, here with a French Navy plane off the coast of Italy:

No, Rio should have won in my opinion. Just that Chicago shouldn’t have been dumped first round.

Fifth. Don‘t forget Tahiti

¥ou can b€t th€¥ $ure£¥ do.

LOL no. He had zero interest in the Munich bid because it was in the way of his personal ambition and I‘m sure everyone in the IOC knew. Wouldn‘t surprise me if some of those 25 voted for Munich just to spite him.

Selfishly I want Brazil to win this, because that way 2031 will be set for Europe and not even the dinosaur elements on our FA board can possibly pass it up this time. A final at Maracana would be a great occasion too. And it's a new confederation for the World Cup. (And if they do, given how they did in 23, I wouldn't mind a cheeky flutter on Colombia to win it...)

One of the most important things about these Olympic Games was revealed today: the meals that the athletes will eat, or at least a small part of them (we have a reputation to defend). https://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/jeux-olympiques/business/chakchouka-brandade-de-morue-on-a-goute-ce-que-mangeront-les-athletes-des-jeux-olympiques_AN-202404300852.html It seems to be good, at least better than in Beijing in 2022.

I think alot of it has to do with Nike/Adidas (and a handful of other big active wear brand) partnering with multiple NOCs more and more with each Olympics. Its homogenising everything.

Exactly this. Doha is a distinctly unique level of crap. At least Dubai and the UAE has some pizazz that would give a unique edition to the Olympics. Yes UAE is conservative, but its far more cosmopolitan and global than dull Qatar. I'd also say that Baku - despite its small size - would be an interesting option for Central Asia. I wouldn't rule them out at some stage during the 21st century. But ultimately Istanbul is the city, one of the greatest in the world linking two continents, with several Olympic bids under its belt, that seems like the most deserving option to finally bring the Summer Olympics to a majority Muslim country.

"department 13"... a city-center opening ceremony... oh sorry, wrong image: competitors winning money if they win... rising political tensions that threaten to disrupt the games... where have I seen this before... sorry i just had to 🙂

I just tested with a US VPN: I can create an account (you have to put a postal code: use 92300, 89500, 03400... things like that) without problems. Then, I had no problem watching live, but on the other hand watching streaming videos it was geoblocked. So if you're just planning to see live streaming normally that's fine, if you want to watch the videos again in streaming you'd have to use a french VPN.

Yeah, I'm not surprised their 100 MILE LONG SMART CITY has been scaled back. Like it or not, I still think they'll manage to build a few stadiums.

you guys are forgetting the california song:

It’s not like there’s a shortage of songs to chose from

Otherwise, there is a lot of talk about “legacy” for these 2024 Olympics, with the desire not to build unnecessary infrastructure, etc. But there is also the legacy of the 1924 Olympics, a hundred years ago already. The Yves-du-Manoir stadium, which was the Olympic stadium in 1924, will host Olympic events (field hockey) for 100 years again, but it is not the only place of the 1924 Olympics which will once again welcome athletes. Here is the Georges Vallerey swimming pool, which hosted the swimming events in 1924. And for these 2024 Olympics, it has been renovated to accommodate training for the swimming events; Of course, no Olympic events in this pool, but it still makes an additional site from 1924 reused. https://sportetsociete.org/2024/04/20/paris-2024-la-piscine-georges-vallerey-rouvre-ses-portes/ (sorry for the double post, I accidentally pressed the send button for Tahiti before having time to finish my post...)

Because they know that those people are actually able to do a proper job mostly and not just want to play the underlings in a feudal system. If they had them in the IOC, the rest of that gang would look the clueless, often grifting, people that many of them (well-proven) are.

Yup, I like this guy. He seems to be just the right level of crazy. This is looking good... https://www.francetvinfo.fr/les-jeux-olympiques/paris-2024/portrait-je-n-y-connaissais-rien-comment-thomas-jolly-est-devenu-le-metteur-en-scene-de-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jeux-olympiques-de-paris-2024_6391246.html

The „tubby Kraut“ bit was really quite unnecessary. There‘s many ways to describe Fencing 1976 without using stereotypes of a country where he‘s not even well-regarded anyway.